OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Goodbye lockdown. Hello herd immunity! That’s what I was thinking while walking along the Liesbeek River this afternoon. In my neighbourhood, I saw workers returning to building sites, only a few wearing masks; child carers talking to one another on the playground without any attempt at physical distancing; children playing in the park; homeless people everywhere; beggars and hawkers on every intersection. Walking might have been a good idea for the body, but my soul despaired. My walking path was mostly empty though… Sigh.

I couldn’t fall asleep last night and read and was online until around midnight when I just forced myself to turn off the light and eventually drifted off. Searching for warmth, this morning The Cats decided to embark on an Occupy Karina campaign and made it nearly impossible for me to do what I needed to on my laptop. Luckily, I could enlarge the texts I was reading and could type with one hand. What we do for (feline) love…

My neighbours phoned and said that they had a delivery for me…! I think I did mention already why I love these people. They are the best neighbours one could possibly wish for. And this is what they gave me today…

Straight from my beloved Elgin Valley. Late in the afternoon, when I was cooking tomato soup for tomorrow and sausages for tonight, Salieri decided to join me on the kitchen table and urged me to open the wine. It was all her doing, I swear.

Love the cork!

I placed a different kind of order online today: from The Hoghouse Brewery. Delivery on Friday for me, and a much more important daily delivery for the MAITLAND SOUP KICHENS. It’s super-easy to donate when you place your order with The Hoghouse Brewery, just add some cash to the cart for pots and pots of soup to be cooked.

SOUP SHARE

We are supporting the local Community Area Network in Maitland with fresh soup. 100% of your donation contributes directly to the ingredients. Each donation of R50 covers the ingredients for 5 litres which feeds 12 hungry humans a warm, tasty and nutritious meal. We provide the hands, the facilities, the fuel.

I know the people behind the initiative and admire their dedication and care, to their co-workers and their communities.

And I remember the Hoghouse feasts, the fantastic food and the beer. May these days when we gather to celebrate friendship return as soon as possible. The world can be a very lonely place nowadays. I don’t feel it as much when I am alone at home. I feel it when I see my neighbour in a mask, grieving for his friend who died much too young because of Covid-19.

Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Stay at home.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD